The Falcon Prince Read Online Free PDF Page B

back toward her.
    “Did he tell you he was an alien?” she asked when he joined them again.
    “You must have misunderstood. He’s from another country. Kris is a really great guy. He even agreed to play in the flag football game this afternoon. Good thing—we were short a man, and would’ve had to cancel.” Heath cast a sour look in Donald’s direction.
    What?
    No, no, no!
    “Let me get this straight,” Ria began as calmly as she could. “He won you over because he agreed to play in a stupid football game? And you’re not taking him to the state hospital, not even after the game?”
    Heath frowned. “It’s not a stupid game, and I can’t very well lock him up just because he’s a foreigner. How would that look?”
    “He said he wanted me to go to his planet, and he would take me there in his spaceship.”
    Heath chuckled. “Maybe that was his way of sweet-talking you?”
    Beside her, Donald went rigor mortis. Sheesh, it wasn’t as if they were still dating. He didn’t own her. Then again, he could just be concerned the guy was a stranger. Doubtful, though. Donald still acted as if they were an item.
    Her attention turned to Kristor. He was helping the Widow Simmons up a steep slope, and she was grinning like a young girl. Good Lord, she was at least eighty-five.
    “You could do worse.” Heath glanced at Donald again, then back to her. “And you’re not getting any younger.”
    Ria bristled. “Twenty-eight is not that old.”
    Donald slipped his arm around Ria’s shoulder. “I’m sure you’ll check this new man out, Deputy. After all, it would be a shame if he was indeed a lunatic. I would rather believe one of our own, than someone you’ve known all of two minutes.”
    Heath squared his shoulders. “I’d already planned to do that, since it’s my job. I don’t think you have to worry that I don’t know procedure. I signed on to protect the citizens, and that’s exactly what I’ll do.” He tugged on the end of his hat, then turned and left.
    “You can move your arm now,” Ria told him. The heavy weight was like an anchor.
    He took his time moving it. “Have lunch with me.”
    Donald had inherited the running of his parents’ restaurant when they retired to Florida. It was a good place to eat. Not that they had many choices. It was either the restaurant, the Dairy Queen, or Sonic.
    “I’m going to grab Carly a burger, and see how she’s feeling.” It was best not to start something else up with Donald. It had taken her too long to break free of his tight rein the last time.
    “I’ll have the cook fix her something special,” he said.
    “Donald, I…”
    He smiled. “As old friends, nothing more. Carly would much rather have something from the restaurant, I’m sure.”
    She didn’t see anything in his expression that would tell her otherwise, and it wasn’t as though she hadn’t known him all her life. “Okay, but I can’t stay long.”
    He grinned, taking her hand in his. She looked across the park and caught Kristor watching her. He wore a dark scowl. She had a feeling he didn’t care for Donald’s touching her. What? Did he think she was his property? He might have fooled the deputy, but he didn’t fool her for a second. She stepped closer to Donald just to prove she didn’t belong to Kristor, either. Donald smiled down at her.
    “I used to love it when you wore your hair down. It made you look more like a grown woman and less like a ragamuffin. I wish you’d wear it down more often.”
    For a moment she’d forgotten exactly what it was about Donald that irritated her. She was so glad he’d reminded her. “Then isn’t it a good thing we’re not dating because I love my hair up. It’s so much cooler.” She smiled.
    “Stubborn woman.” He laughed, but it sounded brittle.
    “You’re not the first person who’s told me that,” she said. Except when Kristor had said it, it hadn’t sounded quite as condescending.
    Lunch went by fairly quickly, mainly